Lisa's Little Loveshack
by Miss CanonAnon
Summary: A romantic dinner in the woods goes a little haywire when a snowstorm hits.  Heavy fluff.  Oneshot.


**Disclaimer:** All Bleach people and things are property of Kubo Tite.

**Pairings:** IchiHime, (hinted) RenRuki, YumiTats

**Genre:** Romance/Humor/Fluff

**Summary:** A romantic dinner in the woods goes a little haywire when a snowstorm hits.

**Dedication:** To **Star-chan**, organizer of this year's Holiday Exchange 2010 contest over at _Five Lifetimes One Love_. :o] (Organizers don't get to participate in the "exchange," so I offered to write this for her.) Her prompts were: **first kiss**, **snow(flake)**, and **fireplace**.

**Word of Warning:** Reading this fic may inspire warm thoughts and fuzzy feelings galore. Beware! Also…it's been a while since I last wrote anything, and this fic is un-beta-ed, so I'm sure there're some eye-piercing mistakes here and there… Please be kind LOL. And feel free to let me know where the mistakes are so I can repost the chapter with a better, cleaner version. :)

::xXxoOoxXxoOo::

**Lisa's Little Loveshack**

::xXxoOoxXxoOo::

He was such a freak. He could face opponents who were so much stronger than him it was mindboggling to even consider victory. He'd faced death on numerous occasions. He'd faced his inner hollow, the scariest part of his being, who still to this day set him on edge occasionally. He'd faced losing his powers and then having to watch his friends fight while he sat on the sidelines helpless. And he'd overcome all of these things with flying colors. So why…why was it so hard to gather the courage to just kiss her? They'd been dating for a year and a half now. The most they'd accomplished was holding hands, hugging, and cuddling. Admittedly, it was largely his fault. It wasn't that he didn't want to go further, he was just…wimpy. And he didn't know how to buck up the courage to just do it because this was Inoue. The girl he'd been dreaming of marrying since he was 12. It sent flutters all over his stomach to think of holding her in his arms, sharing a passionate kiss. But she deserved the best. He'd never kissed anybody before; what if he was terrible at it? What if he had bad breath and she was so repulsed by it that she refused to kiss him ever again? What if he slobbered all over her? What if she began to choke from lack of air or something? He'd be mortified!

It was easy to act cool and like he was the man in the relationship in front of everybody, but the truth was, Inoue had initiated the handholding, the cuddling, the leaning on one another, and the hugging. He'd been so nervous each time that his face had heated up and he'd been nearly sick to his stomach in both the worry that he'd do something wrong and the sheer delight of making physical contact with her. Now, however, it was time they experienced their first kiss. And he still hadn't been able to shove his feet into his big boy pants.

In short, he sucked as a boyfriend.

::xXxoOoxXxoOo::

Orihime was happy. Mostly. Okay, maybe she wasn't as happy as she could be, or…should be…but she wasn't doing too bad! Right? Right. She had a happy life. Great friends. Dutiful, thoughtful boyfriend. And even though he was part of the slight problem, it wasn't like it wasn't something that would eventually be fixed. She just…

Sigh.

She really wanted him to kiss her before her self-restraint won out. Ever since she'd almost kissed him last October, the thought had stayed in the back of her mind. Every time she was close to him, face to face, she dreamed of that pouty mouth descending on hers with a fierce kiss and his arms wrapped around her waist, bending her backwards Hollywood style. Realistically, she knew that one was far off, since they just needed to get past whatever barrier was stopping them from enjoying each other's lips, but still, a girl could dream.

It was because of thoughts like this, though, that she'd begun to fear that she was unconsciously putting Kurosaki-kun on a pedestal. She didn't want to share her first kiss with him, and then think to herself how disappointing it was because it hadn't lived up to the outrageous expectations she'd made. And it wasn't that she was trying to make expectations, but it was so hard not to fantasize about how it would happen. Everywhere she went, she imagined him leaning over and plopping a quick, surprise peck on the lips. She sighed with pleasure at the thought, and then sighed with dismay. This was happening so often that even Tatsuki-chan was beginning to give her exasperated looks.

What was worse was that she hadn't had the courage to tell any of her friends that she and Kurosaki-kun hadn't kissed yet. She wasn't ashamed of it at all…it just somehow became embarrassing when all of their other friends made time to cut classes to make out in the nearest utility closet. It made her feel left behind somehow. Which in turn made her feel even more ashamed of herself for feeling that way in the first place, because kissing wasn't some kind of race, and she rarely cared what others thought of her or her boyfriend anyhow. Adding the whole pedestal matter onto that fact made everything ten times worse.

She also didn't want to ask him about it, because that would seem pushy and needy, and she hated imposing on others. Still…she wanted to be kissed so badly.

Maybe she should start dropping Kurosaki-kun stronger hints. She could be more clever, more inventive. She didn't need Tatsuki-chan's, or Kuchiki-san's, or Rangiku-san's help for this. They'd been together long enough that she knew Kurosaki-kun inside and out. He probably had his own internal misgivings about all of this, but she couldn't figure out what it was. Was it the lipgloss she'd been wearing recently to make him notice? Maybe he hated lipgloss. He'd never said anything about it before, though… Did he think she didn't want to be kissed until marriage or something? Did she really come off that prudish? No, she couldn't have, since she'd been the one to initiate all of their intimate contact so far. Was he just plain old nervous? Ohh, that made her heart flutter with joy. So cute!

Hmm. Maybe she was just too old fashioned with this ideal thought of Boy Must Kiss Girl First. Kuchiki-san and Tatsuki-chan had both been the ones to take the initiative with Abarai-san and Yumichika-san. Then again…it was _Abarai-san_ and _Yumichika-san_. And the latter had had a fit over how masculine and uncute his girlfriend was being. That had earned him a swift punch in the gut, which somehow turned into them disappearing for a few hours and coming back looking all ruffled and red in the face. Abarai-san was so in love with Kuchiki-san that he hadn't cared that she'd attacked him first, and in front of her Nii-sama no less, because it gave him the excuse to kiss her any time he wanted, in front of his Captain or not. (Usually not, because Captain Kuchiki's Death Glare was scary.)

"Miss, do you need any help?"

Orihime smiled at the store attendant and shook her head. Ah yes, she'd been clothes shopping, hadn't she. She needed a dress for the date Kurosaki-kun was taking her on. He'd said to wear something extra nice, so she figured they were going out to a nice restaurant.

::xXxoOoxXxoOo::

Ichigo waited at Inoue's doorstep nervously. She probably thought they were going to a nice restaurant or a dinner theater or something. In truth, he planned on taking her out to a cabin in the woods for a surprise, romantic dinner. It was on a lake, so they could watch the sunset on the water, too, even though it was fairly chilly for this time of year, and the lake was starting to freeze over early.

The door opened, and she popped her head out.

"You could have come in and waited, silly," she laughed. "It's freezing out here!"

Kami she had nice lips.

He shrugged nonchalantly and looked down the street so he wouldn't stare. The last thing he wanted her to think was that he was leering at her like some pervert. Though her hair looked really pretty pulled back in some half-bun-thing, and she was wearing makeup, which she hardly ever did, and never had to since she was a natural beauty, so she looked ten times as gorgeous as she usually did. Which, truly, was saying a lot. He was excited to see her whole outfit, since it was mostly being covered up by her coat. He wasn't really into fashion by any means, but he realized a long time ago that he liked noticing what Inoue was wearing. The way her clothing shaped the contours of her body was utterly fascinating.

He waved his arm to signify that he was waiting for her to go first and allowed himself to stare at her legs as she walked towards the elevator. Damn, she had nice legs. Even for as short as she was. He really could just stare at her backside all day. It's why he often tried to let her go first. So he could stare without worrying. Though he liked the feeling he got when they sat side-by-side, or were walking next to one another as they held hands.

She hit the elevator button, and smiled at him sideways. He moseyed on up to her and put his hand on her backside possessively when a couple of guys came down the hall and also waited for the elevator doors to open. She leaned back into him, smile ever deepening, and his pleasure spiked. He always got a feeling of pride when they stood next to each other, but the feeling was even more powerful whenever they did blatant things like this in front of other people. He felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

"I'm very excited to see where you're taking me," she whispered, nuzzling her head into his shoulder.

He leaned over her a little as he answered lowly, "Yeah, me too. I think you'll really like it."

"Is it far?"

"Kind of. I got my dad to let me borrow his car."

"Wow, it must be in another town, then, right?"

The doors dinged open.

"Something like that."

He opened the door for her when they got to the street. She laughed at little at the gentlemanly gesture, and he made her laugh more by over-exaggerating his movements and pretending like he was a limo or cab driver for a fancy, high-class woman. She then acted the part to perfection, snooty, upturned nose and all, and had him take her to her "secret evening location." Which he did with pleasure.

::xXxoOoxXxoOo::

Orihime gazed at the trees as they passed by. She was sitting in the backseat like a properly lady, and though she wanted to be sitting next to Kurosaki-kun, she would continue this charade until they reached their destination. The thing was, she was getting antsy since they'd been on the road for almost an hour and a half. She tried passing the time imagining that they were off to explore the wilderness or climb across Mount Fuji together, but she anxious enough that it was still making her restless. Even with her vivid imagination.

_Tonight's gonna be the night. I just know it_.

Would it be under the stars? Would he kiss her under a huge tree and then carve their initials together in a heart? Okay, that was too sappy even for Kurosaki-kun. Would he hold her hand first, kiss it, and then work his way up her arm, to her neck, and then her cheek, and then her forehead, and finally to her lips, when she was dying with want for him?

A little sigh of pleasure passed her lips, and she quickly glanced up to see if Kurosaki-kun had noticed. If he had, he didn't say anything or indicate that he did, so she returned to her musings, noting to herself to be more careful.

Would they be lying in a frozen field together, cuddling to keep each other warm when it happened? Would they be near a campfire, with Kurosaki-kun holding her icy hands and blowing on them to keep them warm? Would she trip over a root and fall on top of him, and he would switch their positions so he could be the one on top? Maybe they would be in some remote natural hot springs together, and she'd be sitting on his lap. Okay, the last two _also_ didn't sound like her boyfriend. He wasn't a doormat by any means, but he since never said anything when she made the first move, she couldn't really see him being that bold. Though it made her cheeks so hot that she hoped some day he would be.

_Ahh, look at me. I'm being silly. No matter how it happens, I'll cherish it in my heart forever_.

She decided to break character for just a sec, and leaned over the space in between the seats so she could be sort of face-to-face with Kurosaki-kun. "How's it going up here? You still okay to drive?"

He chuckled. "It hasn't even been two hours. I think I can handle it."

"I know, but just in case you need to rest your eyes or something."

"But it's still daylight."

"Nah-uh. The sun's starting to set."

He shrugged. "We're almost there, so it doesn't matter."

She sighed dramatically and sat back in her seat. "I understand. But watch your tone with me, you obtuse, underpaid, limo driver person." She could see him fighting to keep his face straight in the rear-view mirror.

"Will do, ma'am."

"And stop calling me 'ma'am.'"

"Yes, _Inoue-sama_."

Well _that_ brought on the laughs. She was supposed to be the funny one in the relationship since she studied jokes all the time, but Kurosaki-kun always found ways to bring a smile to her face. And she loved him ever more dearly for it.

He pulled down a long, narrow drive, one that was nearly hidden by trees, and told her to close her eyes, which she did with anticipation. The car rolled to a stop, and her boyfriend told her to keep her eyes closed as he got out of the car to open the door for her and help her out.

::xXxoOoxXxoOo::

He loved the way her eyes lit up when she looked at the cabin and the surrounding woods.

"Oh wow! This is beautiful! How did you find this place?" she asked excitedly.

Crap. The one question he'd hoped she wouldn't ask. How to explain this…

_Ichigo timidly approached Shinji as he lounged around with Lisa, Love, and Rose in their latest hide-out. "Hey, I have a favor to ask."_

_Shinji raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. "Shoot."_

"_Well, as you know, Inoue and I have been together for a while, and I want to take her somewhere really nice."_

"_What's the occasion?"_

"_It's our…uh…" Was he really going to say it? "…first time, um…" Man, it was too embarrassing!_

_Shinji's eyes got wide, and he and the other Vizards shared a long look before bursting out into cheers and patting him on the back, congratulating him._

"_Ichigo, you devil!"_

"_Wow, way to take the initiative. And romantic, too!"_

"_Never woulda thought…"_

_Lisa tossed something jingly to him, and he caught it on reflex. "I'll give you the directions in just a sec, but those are the keys to the family cabin I own. It's where I like to take my 'dates' for the night when it's special like this."_

_He stared at the keys and then smiled. "I see. Thanks. That's really nice of you, Lisa. I never would have considered something like a cabin in the woods. It's definitely somewhere we haven't gone before."_

_Shinji snickered, "I'm sure you'll be going all over the place after your 'special night.'"_

_The crew congratulated him some more, and once Lisa handed him the directions, they shooed him away to give him some time to plan his evening. He didn't really understand what was going on at the time, and so just kind of shrugged everything off. _

_Later, when he realized the implications of what they were referring to, he felt like hanging himself by the fluff of Kon's innards. _

"Um. A friend. You know."

"Cool. Have you explored this place at all?"

"No, not really. Want to explore the outside before it gets dark? I'll catch up with you in just a sec."

"Okay!"

She bounced off into the woods, and he quickly got all of his cooking supplies from the trunk of the car. He figured a good way to find a place to sneak in a kiss would be if they were cooking, and she had some food on her face that he could conveniently wipe away with his lips. He carried the supplies to the side of the cabin, where he knew there was a door to the kitchen, and heaved everything inside. The interior was spectacular. Very modern and very clean. He set up the pots and pans they would have to use, and then he grabbed the perishables from the cooler he'd brought, and opened up the fridge to put them in.

His hand stopped half-way, and he blinked a few times in wonderment at a couple of cakes he was seeing that looked like they should be in a human anatomy class more than a refrigerator. The detail was surprisingly accurate. He shook his head, knowing Lisa must have planted them, and grabbed the biggest one. He couldn't find a trashcan inside, and figured he'd have to take it to the dumpster outside. He shifted the plate around until he could balance it on one hand, and reached for the knob of the door. Thankfully, he saw Inoue sauntering up the walkway at that moment through the window curtain, and quickly looked for a place to hide it. He opened a few cabinets, but they were all full of pots and pans and dishes. The panic set in when he saw how close to the door she was. He didn't want her to see him holding something like this! He'd have to explain the misunderstanding with the Vizards, and he just _so_ wasn't ready to go down that road today. Especially when they hadn't even had their first kiss yet! He opened the fridge again, grabbed the other inappropriate cakes, smashed them on top of the larger one, and ran out of the kitchen into the living room just as Inoue walked through the door.

"Kuro—? Hey, where are you going?" she called.

He was halfway up the stairs. "Um…I'm checking to see if there's a bathroom up here!"

He was all the way up the stairs and around the corner by the time she rounded the corner downstairs. "Are you sure everything's okay?"

He stuffed the cakes in a linen closet, noting to get rid of them later before they left. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, you seem kind of hurried."

He walked past the room of a half-way opened door and peered inside. The bed had condoms strewn across it in flower-like patterns, there were what he assumed was sex toys lining the wall (though he couldn't be sure and some of them looked…questionable), and there were all sorts of massaging oils, lubricants, and towels on the dresser. In horror, he happened to glance up and saw that there was a mirror on the ceiling that had the words, "YOUR FIRST TIME, FINALLY! :D" surrounded by a big, red, lipstick heart.

"You want me to come up, or is this part of the surprise?"

"NO!" He closed the door quickly and then took a deep breath. "I mean, no, it's not part of the surprise but, uh, there's nothing to see up here so don't come up! It's just bedrooms with plain old…beds. It's not worth coming up here, promise!"

"Well, okay. I'll wait on the couch until you're done up there, and then we can go exploring, okay? I already found a nifty spot I want to show you."

"Sounds good."

He did a quick sweep of the other rooms, and thankfully, there didn't seem to be anything in them. The bathroom however, sported more condoms, lubricants, and oils. Upon further inspection, there was yet another lipstick message on the large, glass-plated shower.

"BE CAREFUL THAT YOU DON'T FALL IN HERE, BUT STILL PLAY HARD! ;D"

He threw a long towel over the message and took a few more deep breaths to calm himself down.

_Kami, it's like she has this place booby-trapped!_

And he hadn't even checked the _other_ half of the upstairs yet.

::xXxoOoxXxoOo::

Orihime had caught a glimpse of some funny-looking cakes Kurosaki-kun was holding, and tried not to laugh to herself as she sat and waited for him. She didn't know what exactly they were, but they must have been in pretty bad shape if her boyfriend was busy upstairs trying to hide them. That or it was a surprise cake for later that he didn't want her to see. Guess she'd find out later if they had cake or not. He was always so thoughtful, though. Making sure everything was perfect. It wouldn't surprise if her they'd somehow gotten smushed during the car ride, and he was too embarrassed to show her.

She could hear him fiddling upstairs still—for what reason, one could only guess—and she debated whether she wanted to try and surprise him up there or not. If he was planning something serious, then he might be mad that she ruined her surprise early…

White speckles in the window caught her eye, and she walked to the window.

_Oh wow. The snow's coming down pretty hard_.

She'd only been outside a few minutes ago. Sure it'd been cloudy, but it didn't seem like it was going to snow! Now they wouldn't be able to explore outside. She unconsciously touched her hairpins, which often times reminded her of flowers or snowflakes. Actually, outside of the small loss of being able to explore, she really didn't mind that it was snowing. It made the cabin-home seem even cozier. It also gave Kurosaki-kun and her the excuse to light a fire in the gorgeous fireplace she'd seen in what she figured was the den.

Wondering if it was a real fireplace that would need real wood, or if it was a fake, gas-lit fire, she wandered into the next room, figuring Kurosaki-kun would come find her when he came back downstairs. She was delighted to find that it took real wood and that the chimney seemed clean enough and was opened slightly at the top to let any smoke out. Curiously, she began to look through the cupboards situated beneath the massive TV hanging on the wall. She shrugged at the porn stash she found (not that it was really much of a "find" given that the upper shelf and half of the bottom was full of that sort of movie) and figured it was probably Lisa's, and that this was either her place or one of the other Vizards. She saw a lot of actual romances and historical movies and wondered whose those belonged too.

_Rose-san or Love-san would be too typical…so Hiyori-san? Maybe she's a closet romantic… Oh! Or maybe they belong to Kensei-san!_

The thought made her giggle. Especially since the thought of him watching them for Mashiro's sake would make a lot of sense.

Orihime looked around a bit more and was ever so slowly convinced that this was one of the Vizards' many hide-outs. It screamed "them" too much for it not to be.

She glanced back at the cupboard under the TV and wondered if Kurosaki-kun had found things he thought would be inappropriate, and was now trying to hide them upstairs. The thought warmed her heart as much as it amused her. Again, he was just so thoughtful.

She found a radio in the corner, and turned it on, hoping to find a weather channel.

::xXxoOoxXxoOo::

When Ichigo had "cleared" all the rooms upstairs, stuffing all the indecent things he found in a utility closet and smearing the lipstick messages beyond recognition, he went back downstairs to find his girlfriend. After the things he'd seen, he needed something pure and innocent in his sight _right now_ to wash away the horrors he'd encountered.

He found her tinkering with a radio in what looked like the entertainment room. He paused for a minute to soak in the lovely form-fitting, knee-high dress she was wearing. Yellow really suited her.

"Hey," he said lightly, and hugged her from behind.

She leaned into him, but continued to focus on the radio. "Hi. I'm trying to find a radio station for the weather. It's snowing outside."

"Is it?"

"Yeah. I want to see how bad it's going to get."

"Why don't we bring the radio with us into the kitchen while we make dinner?"

She looked at him over her shoulder, a wide grin on her face. "We?"

"Yep. 'We.' I thought it'd be nice if we could make something together. I brought a recipe book and some basic ingredients with me. I'm sure there's stuff in the refrigerator or the cabinets if we need more."

"That was such a nice idea! It's been forever since we made something together." The last time they did, they almost burned Inoue's apartment down. "We'll just be extra careful this time. And try to avoid using all of the stove tops at once."

They decided it would be best to grab some firewood first from the little shed before starting dinner, and once they'd placed the logs and kindling by the fireplace, they headed into the kitchen. He carried the radio with them, and they started make some interesting takoyaki, apple and squid cakes, and bean-paste onigiri which she delicately shaped into Kon dolls.

Truth be told, Ichigo used to be afraid of her cooking, but after taking a courageous leap of faith one day, he'd found that she could make some really awesome food. Sometimes it was too odd for his liking, but it's why they went out to dinner so often—it was fun finding weird foods they could eat and enjoy together.

About an hour into cooking, they found a couple of decent radio stations to listen to while swapping back and forth with the weather station. They were play-arguing over what kind of music they should listen to next when a snowstorm warning was aired.

Her smile was gone and replaced with a small, worried frown. She looked at the food and then back at him. "Maybe we should just pack up and head home before the storm hits? I wouldn't mind if we ended the night early. I'm sure your dad and sisters will be worried."

Funny. He got the feeling it wasn't the thought of a snowstorm hitting that was making her frown.

"I'm sure we'll be fine. If it gets any worse, we can leave early, but it might just be best if we wait it out. I mean, snowstorms don't usually last that long during this time of the season, right?"

"I guess. Are you sure your family won't mind?"

He shrugged. "They know where I am, and they have my cell number, but I doubt they'll be calling. It's rare for them to worry that much about me anymore. You know, being nearly a grown man and all."

"I guess after bearing the weight of saving the world on your shoulders, there's not much else they can really worry about, huh," she teased.

"That pretty much sums it up. Though I wouldn't have made it if you hadn't been there with me, as well as everybody else."

She leaned into him and closed her eyes, nuzzling him. "I'm happy those days are over. I'm happy that we have this time together with each other right now."

He rested his chin in her head since his hands were sticky, and he didn't want to embrace her. His voice was quiet. Serious. "Me too."

::xXxoOoxXxoOo::

Orihime wondered how terrible of a person she was for secretly hoping that the snowstorm heading their way would last the entire night so she and Kurosaki-kun would be trapped at the cabin. She'd always wanted to have a sleepover, just so she could cuddle into him and have his muscular arms holding her close, but she'd never been able to find a reasonable way to ask him without seeming like she was inviting _more_ than just the two of them sleeping in the same bed together. Maybe it wouldn't be such a big deal once they moved passed this kissing hang up, but until then, she could only hope and dream and wish upon a shooting star.

The pair finished making their food and then brought their meals and the radio back into the den. Kurosaki-kun worked on getting a fire going, and she laid out the fuzzy picnic blanket he'd chosen, as well as the cute china. When the fire was a decent size, he scooted back and sat on the blanket with her. They ate and talked about whatever came to mind, and occasionally fought over control of the radio station. Since they couldn't seem to agree, she suggested they play Rock-Paper-Scissors, and when he was feeling like an extra nice boyfriend, he let her change the station to whatever she wanted most of the times he won. Though, she typically tuned it onto the one he originally wanted, much to his exasperation. When it became an all-out war to change the station to the one the other person wanted, Kurosaki-kun suggested a truce of just listening to the radio station for a few.

Much to her delight—and by "delight" she really meant freaking out inside and partying with her Shun Shun Rikka—it was broadcasting a weather announcement stating that the mother of all snowstorms was hitting their very region. Citizens were advised to stay indoors until late afternoon the next day.

"Oh, dear," she tried to say convincingly. "Looks like we'll be stuck here for a while."

::xXxoOoxXxoOo::

Of course this would happen on one of the most important nights of his life. Garrrhhh. He hadn't found a good opportunity to kiss her while they were cooking, or while they were eating, so he'd planned on switching to Plan C, which was to spend a few moments star-gazing at the edge of the lake they'd now not get to see thanks to the stupid snow. He did his best not to think about what he had to say next, because his heart was doing flip-flops in his chest. He cleared his throat and had to look away because his face began to heat up. "There's a couple of empty bedrooms upstairs." Which…would only made sense, since there weren't any _downstairs_. Kami, he was stupid. About the only smart thing he'd done was hide all the crap Lisa had left for him and Inoue. "I guess we'll have to sleep here for the night. We, uh, we could check out the rooms together if you want?"

She tilted her head to the side as if thinking this over, and a sly look crossed her face. "I have a better idea. Stay here for a sec."

She disappeared upstairs.

His heart nearly seized at the thought of her opening up the utility closet.

"Wait, don't—!"

"I'll be fine!" she called down.

"But I can get whatever—"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine! I'm just grabbing some things. And don't you dare come up here!"

The lights flickered off.

He ran half-way up the stairs, yelling, "INOU—"

"I'm fine! I always carry a flashlight on me!"

He paused a second, seeing a small beam of light, and wondered where she hid such a thing since she'd been wearing a skin-tight dress.

Some pillows hit him in the face, nearly knocking him back off the stairs, and then some heavy blankets followed. He took a step backwards, but his feet got tangled, and he nearly tripped backwards. When he was situated, he threw everything close to him down the rest of the stairs, and then picked up what was left behind and carried it down. He heard some huffing and puffing and something big sliding along the floor, and just when he was about to ask her again if she wanted some help, a large mattress came flying down as well. It hit with a heavy thud.

Geezes. Good thing he'd moved out of the way.

"Kurosaki-kun, could you please set all of that up near the fireplace while I grab another mattress?"

"Um, sure." He had an idea of why she was doing this, but…were they really going to do this? Were they really going to sleep next to one another? His heart was thumping in his chest really hard now. He choked out as casually as he could manage, "W-what are you doing? Or, uh, what are 'we' doing?"

"Sleepover!" she called from a room upstairs. He could _feel_ the smile in her voice.

"Right…sleepover," he muttered. His hands were nearly shaking as he grabbed the edge of the couch and shimmied it backwards a bit so he could drag the mattress to rest vertically in front of the fireplace.

::xXxoOoxXxoOo::

Orihime was beside herself with glee and mentally rubbing her hands together. Not only were they trapped in this house, but the power had even gone out! Now all she needed was some rats or a spider to give her the perfect excuse to sit on his mattress with him. If they were so close, no _way_ would he be able to resist holding her to comforting her. And while she was leaning on him, she'd wet her lips and gaze up at him, and he'd see how much she needed a smooch, too! Her plan was flawless.

She dragged another mattress down the stairway and also tossed that one down the stairs.

If Plan A failed, and all other subsequent attempts to get Kurosaki-kun to notice that she _wanted_ to be kissed, then she's just make the first move herself. As undesirable as that was. She consoled herself with the thought that she'd leave Frenching for him to initiate.

::xXxoOoxXxoOo::

By the time they were situated, with their beds all situated before the fire, it had to be pretty late at night. They'd found some candles and matches, placed those all around the room, and were currently snuggling into their makeshift beds. If he was being honest with himself, the evening had become a hundred times more romantic than he would have imagined. But he was so nervous! He was pretty good at keeping his cool in situations that bothered him, but Inoue had always been able to read him. She could probably sense his anxiety. It was getting to the point that he was beginning to hate himself and his cowardice.

"Have you decided what you wanted to do for college?" she asked him.

"Not really. I still have no clue. I know my dad would love it if I took over the family business, but I dunno. I'm not sure it's for me."

"I'm going to teach. I'm leaning towards physical education."

"You always were good at sports."

They fell into silence again. It'd been going on this way for the past half hour at least. She'd initiate conversation, and he'd ruin it. He got the feeling that, every time she turned to him, she seemed to lean closer with expectancy. But he didn't know why, and she couldn't know about his plan to kiss her tonight, right? He hadn't really indicated anything. At least, he didn't _think_ so.

They were staring at one another. It was probably the first time all night he'd been able to hold her intense gaze this long. And he didn't think it was just her that was leaning closer, either. Was he going to kiss her? Kami, she looked pretty. Okay, he thought he could do it.

Unexpectedly, she dove for his face at the same moment he dove for hers. The end result was a rather painful head butt—at least on Ichigo's behalf. Inoue seemed fine, just beside herself with mortification. She tried apologizing, but ended up covering her mouth and doubling over in embarrassed laughter, and Ichigo was helpless not to join her, despite feeling a raging headache coming on. He laid back on his mat in amused frustration and put a defeated arm over his face.

"Argh! Why do things never go right! I can't even kiss my girlfriend!" he said to himself, uncaring that she could hear him because, at the same time, she was saying in a rush, "Were you trying to kiss me, too? I'm so sorry! I just lost control because you looked so good in the dim lighting and—" She stopped. "You were really going to kiss me?"

He peeked out from under his arm and was glad there wasn't enough light to show that he was blushing. "Yeah," he admitted defensively. "So what?"

A look of pure joy lit up her face, and she grabbed her pillow and shoved Ichigo to the edge of his mattress.

"What are you…"

She lifted his covers and climbed in beside him.

_Oh_.

She was giving him that expectant look again. "I'm ready whenever you are." She closed her eyes, signaling her willingness to wait for him.

_Oh_.

His brain couldn't seem to function past that word. Inoue was laying underneath him—every teenage boy's _fantasy_—and he was… doing nothing. Not a single thing.

_Alright, Ichigo. You can do this. It's just a simple maneuver of placing your lips on hers. The end. No biggie._

Right.

Although her eyes were closed, he felt as though he needed to place a gentle hand over her eyes and leaned down. He would question why this seemed to help him, but later. For now, he was happy to just have any means to help him calm down a little more.

A moment passed. Then six.

"Kurosaki-kun," she whispered. Did her lips pucker up a little more? "Kiss me."

"I'm—trying," he grit out.

It was her goofy smile that came with his words that did it. It's what gave him the courage to lean down all the way and place his lips on hers. Fireworks didn't explode when it happened, and he felt a more than little weird at first—that his mind was full of thoughts like, _Am I doing okay? I'm not hurting her, right? What if my lips are chapped? Does she really like this? Is it adequate?_ certainly wasn't helping—but as soon as she wrapped her arms around his waist, he unconsciously pressed down harder and even ventured to open his mouth a little. Her little sign of pleasure, nearly inaudible, sent tingles everywhere.

He lifted his head for a breath of air and stared in awe at how she looked. Her hair was mused, the light from the fireplace was making her look more ethereal than usual, her eyelids were only half open, and her lips were wet from their kiss. She looked like she was about to say something, but a fleeting thought of, _Irresistible. _passed through his mind, and he swooped down for another kiss before he knew what he was doing.

::xXxoOoxXxoOo::

It was more than Orihime could have hoped for. Even her wildest fantasies didn't compare to how wonderful she was feeling at this very moment. Loved and content. She'd felt Kurosaki-kun's anxiousness, but he didn't have to worry at all! He was an excellent kisser.

The second kiss lasted far longer than the first. Afterwards, Kurosaki-kun settled into the comforters with her and held her close as they slept. His body was soft and warm, but hard and strong at the same time. She felt safe and protected. Her boyfriend was truly marvelous.

"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun."

He opened his eyes tiredly and smiled at her. "For what? Manning up and finally kissing you?"

"No. Just…you. Just thank you for being you."

"You're weird."

She retaliated by snuggling closer.

::xXxoOoxXxoOo::

Lisa, Shinji, Love, and Rose crept around Lisa's cabin, silent as ninjas, looking for a window to peer into to see if they could see anything.

"I heard the power went out in this area last night," Rose remarked. "I hope the youngin's were okay."

"There's still a little bit of smoke coming out of the chimney," Lisa pointed out, "and there's tons of blankets and comforters inside. Even if there was no heat, they were okay."

"Oh, hey! I found 'em!" Shinji said excitedly.

The four pressed their faces to the glass and squinted their eyes so they could see Ichigo and Orihime. It looked like they were on the same bed, and under the same blankets, too!

"He really did it," Shinji said, dumbfounded. "I mean, I know he was planning this, but…it's _Ichigo_. I feel kind of proud to be able to witness this. Like an uncle or a cousin or something."

The others murmured agreements.

"Actually, are we sure it even happened? It looks like they have their clothes on, still," Love pointed out doubtfully.

Lisa tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. "Kinky."

"We could always wager a bet," Rose said. "If we happen to bump into them tomorrow and they're more lovey-dovey than normal, then it happened. If not, then we were mistaken."

"We are _not_ having a bet," Lisa said forcefully. "You don't go into Lisa's Loveshack and come out the same. The end."

"You just don't have any money to bet with," Shinji accused.

Lisa turned her nose upward. "Fine," she sniffed. "I'll bet my entire collection something _good_ happened last night."

"Game," Love said. "Rose and I will add in our manga."

" Wha—who said you could bet for me?"

He shrugged. "You don't have any money either."

"You're right. Damn. But I'm placing my bets on Lisa's side. Girl knows her stuff."

"I'll throw in a month's worth of cooking on Love's end," Shinji offered.

"Shinji! You doubt me?"

"Nahh. I just like being controversial."

::xXxoOoxXxoOo::

Much to the dismay of Love and Shinji, Ichigo and Orihime walked around like love-sick puppies the next day, giving each other sappy, loving looks whenever their eyes met.

Rose took a tearful Love's manga, and Lisa patted herself on the back but refrained from lording her victory over Shinji because she knew if she did, he'd do things to her food in retaliation.

A month later, Hiyori walked into the room in which all four Vizards were lounging, and said with disgust, "I'm sick to death of hearing about Ichigo and Orihime-chan's first kiss in your stupid cabin, Lisa. Everybody keeps making them tell the story, and it isn't even all that great! A first kiss? Screw that bullshit! Talk about something when there's _real_ news to talk about."

The group was flabbergasted. Normally, Shinji would take a crack at Hiyori that she was just jealous, but instead he found himself asking, "What do you mean by 'first kiss?'"

"Um, the thing you do when you put your lips on somebody else's for the first time? What else could I be referring to, dumbass? Geezes."

"They didn't do anything else?"

"Pff! Like what? Go all the way?" That had her keeling over in laughter.

Love jumped up and pointed an accusing finger at his friend. "HA! Give me my manga back, Rose!"

Lisa calmly turned the page of her mag as Shinji slowly narrowed his eyes at her. "What?" she asked, not even bothering to look up. "It's not like I'm not wrong at least _some_ of the time. I'm not omniscient."

"You are _so_ doing the dishes for the next month!"

"Says who? I didn't bet that they went 'all the way.' I bet that something 'good happened' that night. And something did, since they've been telling everybody else about it for the past month."

Shinji outright glared at her. "You're too sneaky."

"Way of life, Leader. Way of life."


End file.
